Three Things Thursday: L-O-V-E

Until Jerry and I got married, we celebrated May 19th as our anniversary--it was the day that we decided to "become exclusive" or "go steady" or whatever it was called back in 1999. I know today is only the 18th, but when thinking of three things to write about for Three Things Thursday, I thought I would write about three things that I love about Jerry.

I've done a post like this before--about 100 years ago!--but since it's on my mind, I figured it would be a fun topic to write about today. So, here we go... three things I love about Jerry. (Warning: This is SUPER mushy. I didn't intend that when I started writing, but it just came out.)

1. He's a SUPER fun dad to my kids.

He's the dad that all their friends wish their dads were like: goofy, spontaneous, up for anything, embarrassing (in a good way), funny, and easy to talk to. The kids went through a short phase when they were pre-teens where they were embarrassed that their dad acted like a big kid; but as teenagers, when their friends were always commenting on how cool their dad was, they understood ;)

From the day they were born, Jerry adored being a dad--changing diapers, getting up in the middle of the night, all the things that a lot of dads leave to mom--Jerry lived for it. He loved volunteering to chaperone field trips on his days off work; taking the kids to different events going on (even simple things like touring a fire station); and now that they're older, he goes to Eli's baseball games (yelling loud "embarrassing" things, like "THAT guy works out!"--referring to Eli's body build) and he has movie nights with Noah on his days off (they literally watch a movie in the middle of the night).

Jerry is SO proud of the kids and you can definitely hear it when he talks about them. When Jerry and I got married, we were so young--I never gave a moment's thought as to what he would be like as a dad if we had kids. But I couldn't have chosen anyone better to co-parent with!

2. He treats me like the most important person in the world. (And puts up with having a bipolar wife--which is no joke!)

I was SHOCKED and in total disbelief when I read a statistic that when one spouse is bipolar, the divorce rate is estimated at 90%. NINETY! I thought it had to be wrong, but I started reading more into it and that is an accurate statistic. Jerry and I have now been together for 24 years, and we are as solid as a couple can get. (At least I should hope so, for Jerry's sake--I warned him the tattoo was a bad idea!)

I would say we're lucky, but luck really doesn't have anything to do with it. Jerry is just VERY patient and understanding and accepting of me exactly as I am. I am the first to admit (truly!) that I am an *impossible* person to live with. I feel sorry for him! I don't know how (or why) he does it. I have a ton of quirks and I overthink everything and I'm super stubborn and my moods can shift from depressed to hypomanic ridiculously fast. Somehow, Jerry keeps up with me and he has learned what works and doesn't work when it comes to "putting up with" me.

3. He puts our family first.

When we found out I was pregnant with Noah, I had been working at Curves for Women. Both of our schedules were kind of all over the place, so we talked about what we should do. Pretty much immediately, we both said that we'd like me to be a stay-at-home mom. I don't think there is anything wrong with being a mom who works outside the home, but we wanted to make sure I (or Jerry) was available for any reason at any time--doctor's appointments, field trips, play dates, learning experiences, all of it.

To see if we could handle it financially, we started putting ALL of my paychecks into a savings account. We lived on Jerry's income alone while I was pregnant, and money was very tight, but it was possible to live on just his income. (And of course, we saved a fortune on childcare once Noah was born.) We were so young and had no idea what we were doing, but we made it work--and we raised two AMAZING kids.

Jerry has always taken his job seriously and he's a hard worker. His shifts are kind of crazy at times (he used to work a swing shift, and now he's on night shift--trying to get on a day shift). He works 12-hour shifts, which is a long day for anyone--but he still makes sure that he spends as much free time as possible with the kids and me. He's super grateful for all that I do and I feel the same for him.

I've gotten a lot of comments over the years about how it's unfair to Jerry that I stay at home while he works long hours. However, it's a choice that we made together and we both agree that it was (and is) the best option *for us*. I don't stay home and eat bonbons while watching soap operas all day (are those even a thing anymore?)--I spent the early years with the kids taking them to MOMS Club events, events at the library and preschool, volunteering at the school for things here and there, etc. As the kids got older, my role has evolved--but it hasn't gotten any less demanding. I have always loved being a stay-at-home mom and I love that Jerry makes it possible.

I don't think there was ever a cheesier family photo than this on the entire planet

This is a very mushy post, now that I read it! Normally, I am not a mushy person; but once in a while, I do like it to be known that I couldn't have chosen a better partner in life. We used to say that we fit together like Legos that have been melted together--not only do we just fit together like normal Legos, but we're both oddly misshapen and ONLY fit with each other, hahaha.

When I told Jerry I was writing this topic today, he joked, "But will you be able to come up with three things?" This was an easy one! Three reasons I love Jerry--out of a million :)  [end mushiness]